Climate Change May Just Ruin This Doomsday Vault

Bex Spiller2/28/2019

There doesn’t seem to be any way to escape climate change, short of burying your head in the sand. Scientists have proven humans have impacted the planet so much that continuing to do so risks the world becoming an unsustainable living environment. There are already floods and fires breaking out more often, and the adverse weather is set to continue. A doomsday vault in Norway has been preparing for the fall of humanity, but now even that could be ruined thanks to climate change.

Climate Change May Just Ruin This Doomsday Vault

Preparing For The End

On an island in Norway is a bunker that people are hoping never has to be needed. Inside there are seeds of thousands of different plants and foods to help the world recover from any serious problems in the future. Called the Global Seed Vault, there are critical storage conditions to make sure the contents of the safehouse remain useable.

There is minimal oxygen pumped into the vault to slow down the aging process as much as possible, and the temperature is -0.4ºF. Now the failsafe for the planet is at risk of ruin, but how is climate change affecting it?

Climate Change May Just Ruin This Doomsday Vault

A Failsafe

The structure is surrounded by a thick blanket of permafrost thanks to the icy island it is located on. This failsafe is in place to ensure the seeds do not overheat if there is an electrical fault, but due to rising temperatures, it’s failing. The Norwegian government has produced a report that suggests the Svalbard Island, where the vault is located, is suffering adverse events from climate change.

Climate Change May Just Ruin This Doomsday Vault

The Last 25 Years

Over the past quarter of a century, the temperature on the island has risen by a total of 18ºF. The solid ground surrounding the facility is a risk of turning to a swamp and sinking the vault, leaving humanity with no backup. With increased rainfall being recorded at the same time as the temperature rises the future looks bleak for the doomsday vault.

While many world governments are now trying to reduce their carbon footprint to give humanity the best possible chance of survival it so far isn’t enough. More efforts will have to be made in the coming years and decades to ensure not only this doomsday vault survives but the human race too.